Paul Cook (footballer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paul Cook

Cook as manager of Wigan Athletic in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Paul Anthony Cook
Date of birth	(1967-02-22) 22 February 1967 (age 58)
Place of birth	Kirkby, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Central midfielder
Team information
Current team	Chesterfield (manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1983–1984	Marine	0	(0)
1984–1988	Wigan Athletic	83	(14)
1988–1989	Norwich City	6	(0)
1989–1994	Wolverhampton Wanderers	193	(19)
1994–1996	Coventry City	37	(3)
1996–1997	Tranmere Rovers	60	(4)
1997–1999	Stockport County	49	(3)
1999	→ Burnley (loan)	12	(1)
1999–2003	Burnley	135	(11)
2001–2002	→ Wigan Athletic (loan)	6	(0)
2003–2006	Accrington Stanley	62	(1)
Total		643	(56)
Managerial career
2006–2007	Southport
2007–2012	Sligo Rovers
2012	Accrington Stanley
2012–2015	Chesterfield
2015–2017	Portsmouth
2017–2020	Wigan Athletic
2021	Ipswich Town
2022–	Chesterfield
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paul Anthony Cook, born on February 22, 1967, is an English professional football manager and former footballer. He currently manages the Chesterfield football team.

Cook played as a central midfielder for 23 years, from 1983 to 2006. He even played in the top-tier Premier League for Coventry City. He also played for many other teams in the Football League, including Wigan Athletic and Burnley.

After his playing career, Cook became a manager in 2006. He has managed several clubs, including Sligo Rovers in Ireland and Portsmouth in England. He led Chesterfield to win the League Two title in the 2013–14 season. He also guided Portsmouth to win the League Two title in 2016–17. In 2017, he became manager of Wigan Athletic and led them to win the League One title. Cook returned to Chesterfield in February 2022 and led them to promotion as champions in the 2023–24 season.

Paul Cook's Football Journey

Playing Days: From Midfielder to Champion

Paul Cook started his football journey in 1983 at a local non-league team called Marine. In 1984, he joined Wigan Athletic, where he played in 83 league games over four years. After a short time at Norwich City, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers for £250,000.

Cook was very popular with fans and teammates at Wolves. He was known for his powerful and accurate left foot. He played 193 league games for Wolves over five seasons before moving to Premier League team Coventry City.

He played most of his games at Coventry in his first season (1994–95). However, he played less in the next season. In February 1996, Cook was sold to Tranmere Rovers for £250,000.

At Tranmere, he became a key player, appearing in 60 league games in just 18 months. In October 1997, he moved to Stockport County. After a year there, he was thought to be "too old" at 32. This led to a loan move to Burnley, which became a permanent move in July 1999.

After some disagreements with the Burnley manager, Cook went on loan to his old club, Wigan Athletic. He played only six games before returning to Burnley. Cook left Burnley at the end of the 2002–03 season. Fans gave him a standing ovation for his contributions to the club.

Cook then joined non-league team Accrington Stanley. He became a regular player as they pushed for promotion to the Football League. They achieved this goal in the 2005–06 season, winning the Conference title. After this success, Cook retired from playing, having played 643 league games for nine different clubs.

Accrington Stanley held a special match for Cook on May 2, 2006, to thank him for his efforts. It was played at the Wham Stadium, with Accrington playing against a Burnley Select XI that included his son, Liam.

Becoming a Manager: Leading Teams to Success

Southport Management

Paul Cook started his management career at Southport on June 13, 2006. He was in charge of this Conference team until January 2007, when he was let go after a loss to Northwich Victoria.

Sligo Rovers Management

On April 27, 2007, Cook became the manager of Sligo Rovers in Ireland. In his first season, he led Rovers to finish 6th in the league. In his second season, he guided them to 4th place, which earned them a spot in the UEFA Cup.

Cook left Sligo in January 2009 but returned a few weeks later. In his third season, despite financial challenges, he led the team to a 6th-place finish. He also guided Rovers to the FAI Cup final in November 2009, but they lost 2–1 to Sporting Fingal.

Cook made up for the cup loss in September 2010, winning his first trophy as Sligo Rovers manager. They beat Monaghan United 1–0 in the League Cup final. In November 2010, he won the FAI Cup by beating Shamrock Rovers on penalties. This was a big moment for Sligo Rovers. In 2010, he also led Rovers to a 3rd-place league finish, securing a spot in the UEFA Europa League for 2011.

In November 2011, Cook won the FAI Cup again, beating Shelbourne 4–1 in a penalty shootout. He also guided Sligo to 2nd place in the League of Ireland in his final season there.

Accrington Stanley Management

After his success in Ireland, Cook was appointed manager of Accrington Stanley on February 13, 2012. He led the team to finish 14th in League Two at the end of the 2011–12 season. He continued to manage them for the first few months of the next season.

Chesterfield Management

On October 25, 2012, Cook joined Chesterfield, a team in the same league. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. In his first season, he guided Chesterfield to an 8th-place finish, just missing the play-offs.

The next season, Cook led Chesterfield to win the League Two title. In the following season, Chesterfield finished 6th in League One and reached the play-offs, but they lost to Preston North End.

Portsmouth Management

On May 12, 2015, Cook became the manager of Portsmouth, another League Two club. Portsmouth paid a fee to release him from his Chesterfield contract. Cook guided Portsmouth to win the League Two title in the 2016–17 season.

Wigan Athletic Management

On May 31, 2017, Cook was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic, a team that had just been relegated to League One. He signed a three-year contract. He led Wigan to win the League One title and had an impressive run in the FA Cup. They famously beat three top-tier teams: West Ham United, AFC Bournemouth, and Manchester City. Cook resigned as Wigan manager on July 29, 2020. This happened after the club was relegated from the Championship due to a 12-point penalty when they faced financial difficulties.

Ipswich Town Management

On March 2, 2021, Cook was appointed manager of Ipswich Town with a contract until 2023. His first match was a 3–1 loss to Gillingham. His first win came in his third game, a 1–0 home victory against Plymouth Argyle. On April 7, 2021, a new US investment group took over Ipswich Town, and Cook remained as manager. Ipswich finished 9th in League One at the end of the 2020–21 season.

Before the 2021–22 season, Cook made many changes to the team and coaching staff with the support of the new owners. Over a dozen players left, and 19 new players joined. Despite these changes, Ipswich had a slow start to the season, winning only two of their first 10 matches. On December 4, 2021, Cook was let go by the club. The team was in 11th place, seven points away from the play-offs. Cook was the second-shortest serving manager in the club's history.

Return to Chesterfield Management

On February 10, 2022, Cook returned to Chesterfield, a club in the National League, seven years after he last managed them. Chesterfield had a great start to the 2022–23 season, topping the league at the end of the first month. Cook received the National League Manager of the Month award for his efforts.

He won the award again in January 2024 after his team won five out of five matches. Chesterfield was more than twenty points clear at the top of the table. They had led the division since mid-September and secured promotion to the Football League as champions with five games left. The club also broke their record for most league wins in a season, with 27 victories.

Media Work

Paul Cook has appeared on RTÉ, an Irish TV channel, to talk about League of Ireland matches.

Family Life

Paul Cook's son, Connor, is also a professional football player.

Career Statistics

Playing Statistics

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Achievements

Player Honours

• Burnley
  • Second place in Football League Second Division: 1999–2000
• Accrington Stanley
  • Won Conference National: 2005–06
• Individual Awards
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers Player of the Year: 1992–93

Manager Honours

• Sligo Rovers
  • Second place in FAI Cup: 2009
  • Won FAI Cup: 2010, 2011
  • Won League of Ireland Cup: 2010
• Chesterfield
  • Won Football League Two: 2013–14
  • Won National League: 2023–24
  • Second place in Football League Trophy: 2013–14
• Portsmouth
  • Won EFL League Two: 2016–17
• Wigan Athletic
  • Won EFL League One: 2017–18
• Individual Awards
  • Football League/EFL League Two Manager of the Month: August 2013, April 2017
  • LMA League Two Manager of the Year: 2017
  • EFL League One Manager of the Month: October 2017, March 2018, April 2018
  • National League Manager of the Month: August 2022, January 2024